A Journey of Journeys
by DarkPoisonousLove
Summary: The story of Wish Killian and Alice is a long journey that underwent many transformations and every iteration of it can be considered a journey in and of itself. A collection of my entries for Knight Rook: A History - Transformations over on tumblr. Contains Knight Rook and mentions of Curious Archer.
1. Day 1 - Tower Tales

**A/N: ****Just a short ficlet about Wish Hook's transformation from a vengeful pirate into a loving father.**

Fatherhoo[k]

Once a pirate, always a pirate. At least that was what he thought. At the time it hadn't seemed like there'd be anything that would be able to change his mind, to make him want to change. The Jolly Roger was his home and revenge was all that his heart harbored. He'd spent centuries on Neverland, dedicating his life to getting his vengeance because that was all that mattered.

And yet, he found himself turning his back on the endless sea and his thirst for revenge. He was no longer trying to keep his balance on the deck of a constantly rocking ship. Instead, he rocked his infant daughter in his embrace. The soothing sound of waves that lulled him to sleep was replaced by sharp cries that woke him in the middle of the night. His hook no longer served as a weapon. He now used it to help Alice put clothes on. He was no longer the feared pirate of whom tales were told. Instead, he told bedtime stories to his daughter. His thoughts were not consumed by revenge anymore. His creativity was focused on coming up with ways of making Alice's existence more bearable now. The stars he could see through his spyglass no longer helped him navigate his ship through the sea. In the tower they helped keep track of time.

And heaven knew that flew fast. Maybe the stillness of Neverland where time did not move had distorted his perception of it but in the tower it was different. Alice grew up in the blink of an eye. Before he knew it, she'd gone from a little helpless baby to a skilled girl who was almost a teenager. And even though to her it seemed like she'd spent an eternity trapped in that prison, to him it had been a moment.

A moment was all it had taken for him to throw away any life he might have had outside of the solitude of the tower. A moment was all it had taken for him to abandon piracy and any desire of revenge. A moment was all it had taken for him to choose love. He hadn't thought he had much of that left in him but he was ready to give it all to his daughter. And so, he'd set off on a journey that had nothing to do with finding treasure or seeking revenge. He'd chosen the path of fatherhood. And that had been the best transformation he could have ever hoped for.


	2. Day 2 - Separation Anxiety

**A/N: ****A short ficlet about Wish Hook reaching to rum for comfort after losing the only thing that mattered to him - his daughter. Angst per the day's theme. **

Don't Let Me R[u]member

It seemed like rum was the only lasting relationship in his life. He'd first had a taste when he was at a young age–he'd grown up on a ship where booze was more treasured than food after all–and he'd quickly fell in love with it. Since then he'd had no qualms about indulging himself. He often got drunk in search of escape from the miserable reality he lived in. And in the rare moments when he was happy, he used rum to celebrate that happiness, many times causing himself to end up without any memory of it instead, the entire evening wiped away from his head and replaced by the pain of the hangover. But one thing didn't change. Rum was always there when he needed it and he reached for it quite often.

It was different now though. He could no longer get drunk. Because he was in a constant alcohol-induced haze. The moment he felt his mind clearing in the slightest, he just reached for the bottle of rum that was always nearby. He did not give a bloody damn about the damage it could do. The worst had already happened. The poison in his heart kept him from getting anywhere near his daughter. The only thing rum could do was ease his suffering.

Because it hurt like hell. He'd lost his brother, his hand and the woman he loved, and yet, none of that could compare to losing Alice. When he was able to form thoughts, they immediately took him to the tower where his starfish was trapped. She was missing on life, and he was missing on her life. He wouldn't witness her transformation into a beautiful woman. He wouldn't see her go on adventures and fall in love. And the worst thing was that he didn't know if she'd even get to do all of that because he'd failed her. He hadn't kept his promise. He hadn't freed her from the tower. It was his fault she was in there. He'd doomed her to a life of solitude and suffering. And for what? To protect his precious honor.

He had no honor left. He weakened his own mind as his body aged mercilessly and he turned into an old drunk. He drank until he forgot everything – even Alice's face which was a painful reminder that he'd failed her. Because even if he could see her now, she'd be changed, grown up and looking nothing like he remembered. And the thought that he'd already missed so much of her life and he'd keep missing it without being able to do anything about it made him want to throw himself in the sea. So he kept finding his way to the bottom of a bottle after bottle, drowning out any thought that could reopen the wound that losing Alice had left on his heart. It had broken him in a way that nothing else had managed to. He could no longer find it in himself to fight. He could only fall apart.


	3. Day 3 - New Quests, New Friends

**A/N: ****Wish Hook contemplates the transformations he and Alice as well as their relationship went through.**

Paper Knight

Hook was sitting in a secluded corner of the palace, fidgeting with the rook Alice had given him so long ago. In his lap was a letter from his starfish. They had established a communication system. While they could speak face to face if they didn't get too close, it was too painful to be so close to each other and yet, so far. So they'd settled on writing letters. And Robin had eagerly agreed to be the messenger to deliver them.

Hook smiled to himself at the thought. It was obvious what was blooming between Alice and Robin even though the two of them seemed completely oblivious of it. And still, Alice always dedicated at least one paragraph of her letters to Robin who, in turn, always came back from Alice's cabin with a big smile on her face. And he was glad he could be there to see the relationship between them was developing. It soothed his consciousness to know that his starfish was finally happy and had all the opportunities to explore life outside of that bloody tower.

He'd asked her to tell him all about her adventures since she'd escaped her prison and, even more than a year after they'd renewed communication, she still hadn't managed to tell him everything. She had so many stories to tell and his heart swelled with content at the thought. After everything she'd missed on while trapped in the tower, she'd finally had all the adventures she'd dreamt of.

What bothered him was that lately Alice had been more insistent on learning about his life during their separation. So far he'd been dodging her questions. He'd only briefly explained to her his magical deaging but without going into detail, hoping that she'd give up on asking. He knew she meant well and only wanted to know how he'd been but he wanted to hide that part of himself from her. What could he tell her? That he'd become an old drunk who'd given up on everything, including her? That his best plan had been to steal another man's love in order to be cured of the poison in his heart?

He looked aside and met his own gaze in one of the countless mirrors that were strewn all over the palace. The reflection that he saw was that of a man who still had a lot of life in front of him. A man who was given a second chance to fix his mistake. His encounter with Emma and his other self and his decision to team up with Henry and Regina had given him new hope and he had not only been transformed into a younger version of himself, but also back into the father that was ready to fight for his daughter till the very end.

He looked at the rook in his hand. It still looked the same way it had when Alice had given it to him back in the tower. But it wasn't. And it wasn't the well of sad memories it had turned into during their separation. It was a promise, just like it had been intended to be. But this time he'd get back to his daughter. He'd find a way for them to be reunited just like he'd promised. He'd hit rock bottom but with a little help from some friends he'd picked himself up and was ready to fight. And he and his starfish were not together yet but they were getting there. And every day they got closer to being reunited just like every letter helped them share a little bit more about their lives when they hadn't had the opportunity to be there for each other. And that included the ugly parts.

He took the letter and opened it, his heart racing with excitement. The first thing he noticed was the chessboard Alice had drawn at the bottom of the sheet. It was set for a new game and she'd made the first move with one of the white knights. It wasn't the typical opening move and he smiled. His starfish had found a way to bring back one more element of their relationship. It was a little different, adapted to their current situation, but it filled him with the confidence that one day they'd play face to face again and the real knight would replace the paper one.


	4. Day 4 - Hyperion Heights

**A/N: ****Rogers contemplates the change that Tilly brought into his home and his life.**

Home Makeover

The TV was on when he walked into his apartment. It was clearly a documentary on sea life if the scientific facts about starfish he could hear were any indication. He wasn't surprised by that. Tilly had been thrilled by the prospect of being able to watch TV and she'd quickly fallen in love with documentaries. She loved to watch about everything from wildlife to travel guides. He hadn't expected her to be awake though. He'd gotten caught up at work and he'd thought he wouldn't catch her awake.

He stepped into the living room to find her asleep on the couch, a book lying open on her chest. She must have been reading, using the TV for background noise. As if one thing was not quite enough to occupy her mind. She was always busying herself with something and looking for something to do - be it read, draw or cook. Her new job at the Rollin' Bayou had inspired her to try her hand at cooking. Her first few attempts had resulted in utter chaos that had transformed the kitchen into a war zone but she was getting better at it. She even cooked him dinner sometimes when she got home first. She'd said it was the least she could do to show her gratitude for him letting her stay with him.

He debated whether he should wake her so that she could relocate to the more comfortable bed in her room or let her sleep. She must have been really tired to fall asleep while reading and he knew sometimes she had trouble sleeping so he decided to let her be. He didn't want to wake her only for her to be unable to fall back asleep. He went to fetch a blanket though. Even though the apartment was warm, it was still winter. He didn't want her to catch a cold.

He pulled the book out of her loose grip, careful not to wake her, and covered her with the blanket. She seemed peaceful and that was a nice change from the anxious, worried Tilly he had first met. The stable home and job as well as her newfound connection with Margot seemed to ground her and helped her integrate into the community of the Heights. She was no longer a thief and a street rat, no longer invisible, and that seemed to bring her great comfort. And it brought him comfort too, knowing that she was safe and happy.

He put the book on the coffee table and looked at the chessboard that they'd left there. Since they did not always have the opportunity to play, they kept the board there and made a move at a time. The other would see it and make their own move in response. That way they could still play even when they didn't really have the time.

He took a good look at the chessboard to see if he could figure out Tilly's strategy. Sometimes her moves looked illogical but turned out to be brilliant. That seemed to be the case now because he couldn't figure out what she was trying to do. He did see an opportunity to capture one of her pawns with his knight but it seemed too obvious to be anything but a bait. He decided to play along however, interested in what she had in mind.

He tried to get closer to the board to make his move but tripped over something. He barely managed to keep his balance and looked at Tilly to see if the thud he'd caused hadn't woken her. There didn't seem to be a change in her even breathing and peaceful expression so he redirected his attention back to the thing he'd tripped over. Turned out there'd been a pile of books on the ground that he hadn't noticed before. Tilly had the habit of pulling out a handful of books from his shelves and then leaving them strewn all over the apartment. And when she did put them back, she never put them in their respectful places, causing the chaos to transfer to the shelves too. He had to rearrange them every few days to bring some order in them.

He shook his head and picked up the books, leaving them in a neat pile on the coffee table, next to the chessboard where Tilly would spot them immediately. He moved his knight and then headed to the kitchen island to grab something to eat. He saw a packet waiting for him on the table. He picked up the note that was sitting next to it.

"Look what hopped all the way here from Sabine's foodtruck"

He smiled at the little bunny she'd drawn at the end of the sentence instead of a full stop. He opened the packet of beignets and took a bite from one. It was not the most standard dinner but it it sure as hell tasted divine. And Tilly was not the most conventional of roommates but she filled the apartment with warmth and made it feel like a home again after the many sleepless cold nights he'd spent in fruitless attempts to find Eloise Gardener. Tilly's tangible presence–from the painting she'd given him to hang in his bedroom to the little origami boat she'd made him–filled the apartment with life and he rather liked the transformation.


	5. Day 5 - Happily Ever After

**A/N: ****Wish Killian's musings on his and Alice's journey towards being reunited. Mentions of Curious Archer and Hooked Queen.**

Our Journey to Each Other

All fairytales had happy endings. And now they were finally happy. But Killian knew their journey was far from its ending. If he'd learned one thing by now, it was that everything kept changing, growing, transforming.

His relationship with Alice had transformed many times to allow them to finally be at each other's side. He could once again reach for her hand, hold her in his arms and lay a kiss on the top of her head. They could once again drink tea together, play chess with all their memories intact and go for a walk side by side. He could be a part of her life again, not just watch from afar. He could be there at her engagement, he could walk her down the isle, he could help raise his grandchildren. All they'd gone through had led them here. Their relationship had been changing through the years, bringing them closer and closer to the moment when they'd finally be reunited. And it wasn't just the two of them anymore.

Alice had found love and now he had another daughter to love and protect. He'd witnessed Robin's growth as a person and the development of her relationship with Alice–even though from afar–and he was thrilled to have her as his future daughter-in-law. She'd been of great support not only to Alice, but also to him during their obstacle-filled journey towards each other and he couldn't imagine someone better to entrust his daughter to. Alice's radiant smile and the adoration in her eyes that appeared every time when she looked at Robin and that Robin returned were the best gift he could've asked for. Knowing that his starfish was no longer lonely and isolated but was instead loved and cherished helped him put his doubts of himself as a father to rest.

And Alice now also had a future mother-in-law, although Zelena was practically like a real mother to her. The two were really close and had some sort of a connection between them that was hard to describe. He would occasionally find himself on the receiving end of one of Zelena's usual snappy remarks but that was never the case with Alice. Zelena had taken her under her wing and was always gentle and patient with her which spoke volumes because she was otherwise very reactive and irritable. But she was always there for Alice with advice on magic or anything else really. It was heartwarming to witness the natural bond between them and see how relaxed Alice was around her future mother-in-law.

And of course, there was the other Mills sister. Regina always made sure to check up on him and the girls when she wasn't busy with royal duties, continuing to take care of them just like she'd done during the Curse and before that. He could never thank her for always nudging him towards Tilly in the Heights, just like he could never thank Rumple for making his reunion with Alice possible. He and Regina had bonded a lot over the legacy Rumple had left them and something else might have started blooming there too but they'd both been through so much when it came to love that it was hard to know just yet. Only time would tell.

The important thing was that he had his daughter by his side again and they'd both made many friends along the way. Their lives had changed for the better and they would never be alone again.


End file.
